LA Galaxy An Ideal Opponent For Toronto

Toronto FC discovered Tuesday that it will take on Los Angeles Galaxy in the quarterfinals of the 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League. The first leg will take place in Toronto with a return clash in Carson. For the Reds, LA is the most ideal opponent.

TFC could have been paired with Mexican sides Santos Laguna or defending Champions League winner Monterrey, but the luck of the draw has favoured the BMO Field team at first glance.

Mexican teams are known to be far stronger in the championship round of CCL than what was on display during the group stage. In the early rounds of the tournament, confident Mexican coaches were freely experimenting with youth and second team players. They will up the ante in the quarterfinals and that would have meant facing full squads and larger, more hostile crowds in the second leg for Toronto.

In team form, Mexican squads will be seven or eight rounds into the 2012 Clausura (the closing tournament in the top flight), and nobody coming out of spring training – as Toronto will be in early March – wants to face first division clubs in full stride.

Like Toronto, Los Angeles will be finishing its preseason in early March. In the first leg, Bruce Arena's men will come to a city where they haven’t won or scored a goal since 2009. Toronto has generally proved a difficult tie for LA regardless of the coach in charge of the Reds. An all-time record of two wins, three losses and five draws (including four straight) against MLS’ top team illustrates that competitiveness from Toronto.